Scars of the spotlight

CHAPTER FIVE: I Will Fight Back

The room remained silent.

Neither of us spoke.

Amanda's question still hung heavily in the air.

"The Redrigos did this to you... didn't they?"

I couldn't take my eyes off her.

My mind refused to move past that one question.

How did she know the Redrigos?

I kept asking myself.

The way she had said their name...

It wasn't the way someone guessed.

It sounded like someone who already knew them.

Someone who had crossed paths with them before.

Amanda must have noticed the confusion written all over my face.

She didn't ask what I was thinking.

Instead, she gently tightened her hold on my hands.

Her eyes slowly travelled over the bruises scattered across my arms once again.

Her fingers lightly brushed against the dark marks around my wrists.

The wounds were still fresh.

Some of the cuts hadn't even started healing.

A deep sigh escaped her lips.

Then she slowly shook her head.

"Oh my God, Sara..."

Her voice was barely above a whisper.

The sadness in her eyes slowly gave way to something else.

Anger.

The kind that settled deep inside a person's heart.

"How ruthless could the Redrigos be?"

She swallowed hard, still staring at the injuries covering my body.

"How could they torture you this way?"

For a moment, she simply looked at me.

Almost as though she was trying to imagine everything I had been through.

Then she looked away briefly and closed her eyes.

When she spoke again, her voice was calm...

But every word carried weight.

"These people simply have no human empathy at all."

She slowly looked back at me.

"How about suing them, Sara?"

Her fingers gently squeezed both my hands.

"For torture..."

"For kidnapping..."

"And for everything they've made you and your mum go through."

She paused, giving me enough time to let her words sink in.

"We can't let the Redrigos get away with this, Sara."

"This is your life we're talking about."

"If you don't put a stop to this..."

"They'll keep coming after you."

"They'll keep using their power to make you and your mum weak and powerless at every chance they get."

She leaned forward slightly.

"You have to put a stop to this."

"You have to stand up..."

"...and protect yourself and your mum, Sara."

Silence followed.

I lowered my eyes.

My gaze fell on our joined hands.

Amanda's fingers were still wrapped gently around mine.

It felt warm...

Comforting.

For the first time in what felt like forever...

Someone wasn't looking at me with hatred.

Or pity.

They were looking at me with genuine concern.

My chest tightened.

Everything Amanda had just said echoed inside my head.

She's telling the truth.

I can't remain weak and powerless forever.

I have to stand up for myself now.

And that means fighting back for every pain...

Every humiliation...

Every torture...

The Redrigos put my mum and I through in that house.

Slowly, I lifted my eyes again.

Amanda was still watching me quietly.

As though my silence wasn't empty.

Like there were words trapped inside me that I wasn't ready to let out.

The room was quiet once again.

Only the faint ticking of the clock on the wall broke the silence between us.

I opened my mouth to speak...

But the words refused to come.

How was I supposed to explain everything?

Where would I even begin?

I lowered my eyes.

My fingers tightened around Amanda's hand without me realizing it.

A lump formed in my throat.

Oh, Amanda...

If only you knew.

Mum is gone.

She died...

And I couldn't do anything to save her.

I couldn't protect her.

The thought alone sent a sharp pain through my chest.

My eyes slowly began to sting.

I blinked several times, trying to stop the tears from falling.

But it was of no use.

The memories came rushing back all over again.

The hospital.

The smell of medicine.

The sound of machines echoing through the room.

My mum's cold hand resting weakly inside mine.

I remembered holding onto it so tightly...

As though refusing to let go would somehow keep her alive.

Then...

The doctor's voice broke through my thoughts once again.

"The toxic substance had already spread through her bloodstream by the time she arrived at the hospital."

"It had already caused severe damage to her heart, and unfortunately, her body couldn't recover from it."

"We found traces of an unknown toxic substance in her system."

"It triggered a rapid cardiac arrest, and despite our efforts..."

He paused.

The sympathy in his eyes said everything before his mouth did.

"I'm sorry, Miss Sara."

"We did our best."

"We couldn't save her."

My breathing became uneven.

Even now...

Those words still haunted me.

"Sara..."

Amanda's gentle voice pulled me back to the present.

"Are you listening to me?"

"Can you hear me?"

I blinked.

The hospital room disappeared.

Once again, I was sitting on the soft bed inside Amanda's house.

She was still holding both my hands.

Looking at me with nothing but concern.

For the first time in months...

Someone was showing me this much care.

It caught me off guard.

My emotions, which I had buried for so long, suddenly rose to the surface.

I looked down, trying to hide the tears gathering in my eyes.

Then I spoke.

My voice was barely above a whisper.

"How do I even begin to fight the Redrigos?"

A bitter smile crossed my face before disappearing just as quickly.

"I don't have that kind of power yet."

"I don't even have the means to, Amanda."

Amanda didn't hesitate.

She gave my hands a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

"I know, Sara."

Her voice was calm, steady.

"Don't be scared."

"Don't be afraid of facing the Redrigos."

She held my gaze.

"I'm here."

"I'll stand with you every step of the way, Sara."

Her words settled quietly inside my heart.

For the first time since everything happened...

I didn't feel completely alone.

She paused for a moment before continuing.

"From now on..."

"If you're going to face the Redrigos..."

"We'll face them together."

Her expression slowly hardened.

"It's time to settle the score I have with those people as well."

There was something in her eyes when she said those words.

Not hatred.

Not exactly.

It looked more like...

Old wounds that had never truly healed.

"They're ruthless."

"They're inhumane."

"If you're going to make them pay..."

"You have to become strong, Sara."

She spoke each word carefully, making sure I understood.

"It won't be easy."

"But you have to stand firm."

"You have to remain unshaken."

"The Redrigos should be ready to answer for every pain they inflicted on you and your mum."

I lowered my eyes again.

She mentioned Mum...

Amanda...

It's not that I don't want to make them pay.

But how can I?

I won't win like this.

I have nothing against them yet.

I have no name.

No influence.

Compared to the Redrigos...

I'm nobody.

If I'm ever going to take back everything they stole from my family...

I have to become someone first.

Someone they can't silence.

Someone they can't look down on.

Only then...

Will I be ready to face them.

Right now...

I just don't have that kind of power.

If I'm going to take revenge on the Redrigos...

I need to be fully prepared.

I need something against them.

Something I can use to bring them down completely.

Amanda didn't answer immediately.

She simply looked at me.

A small smile slowly appeared on her face.

There was pride in her eyes...

The kind of pride a teacher has when a student finally understands the lesson.

She gave a slow nod.

"That's true, Sara."

"You have a point."

"If you go after the Redrigos now..."

"They'll destroy you before you even have the chance to fight back."

She paused, allowing her words to sink in.

"For now..."

"You need to stay behind the scenes."

"Remain in the shadows."

"Build yourself."

"Become the best version of yourself."

Her smile grew a little warmer.

"You're thinking in the right direction now, and I love that for you, Sara."

"I'm here."

"I'll always be here to help you whenever you need me."

"We only need to work on a few things."

"You definitely won't be the same Sara they once knew."

A flicker of determination crossed her face.

"When you return..."

"You'll come back unrecognisable."

"Powerful."

"And able to stand before the Redrigos without fear."

"That's the new version of Sara I want to see."

Amanda had barely finished speaking when the shrill ringtone of a telephone suddenly cut through the silence.

Both of us instinctively turned toward the bedside cabinet.

A sleek black telephone vibrated repeatedly against the polished wooden surface.

Amanda frowned slightly.

"Excuse me for a moment."

She slowly released my hands, stood up, and walked over to the cabinet.

Picking up the receiver, she answered the call.

"Hello?"

A respectful male voice came from the other end.

"Good afternoon, Ma'am Amanda."

"This is Jeremy, stationed at the main gate."

Amanda's expression remained calm.

"Jeremy?"

"Is everything alright?"

"There must be a reason you're calling."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Jeremy sounded slightly uneasy.

"We've received reports from some people outside the estate."

"They're looking for a missing woman they believe may have entered Rona Estate."

"I was instructed to notify every resident in Bellevue Hill Estate in case anyone has seen her."

The moment those words reached my ears...

A cold chill ran down my spine.

My fingers instinctively tightened around the bedsheet.

Slowly, I lifted my eyes to Amanda.

She didn't react immediately.

Instead, she walked toward the window and gently pulled the curtain aside, trying to get a better view of the estate gate.

Unfortunately, the distance was too great.

From where she stood, she couldn't make out anything.

After a brief pause, she spoke calmly into the receiver.

"No, Jeremy."

"I haven't seen any missing person."

She was just about to end the call when Jeremy spoke again.

"Ma'am..."

"The woman's name is Sara Malik."

"Are you absolutely certain you haven't seen any trace of her?"

Amanda froze.

Only for a split second.

I noticed it immediately.

Her fingers tightened around the receiver.

But just as quickly as it happened, she regained her composure.

"This must be some kind of mistake, Jeremy."

Her voice became firmer.

"Aren't you supposed to be monitoring everyone who enters and leaves this estate?"

"How could a missing person sneak into this estate without your knowledge?"

"Isn't that exactly why you're stationed at the gate?"

Even from where I sat, I could hear the nervousness in Jeremy's voice.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am."

"I sincerely apologise."

"I was only making inquiries because these people refuse to leave."

"I've already told them no one matching her description entered the estate..."

"But they insist on staying."

Amanda's expression hardened.

"Then check the CCTV cameras."

"You should be reviewing the footage instead of calling every resident."

"Do your job, Jeremy."

Without waiting for another response...

She ended the call.

The room fell silent once again.

A terrible feeling settled in the pit of my stomach.

Ignoring the pain shooting through my body, I forced myself to sit up.

The sudden movement sent a sharp ache through my back, but I gritted my teeth and pushed through it.

Slowly, I swung my legs over the side of the bed.

The moment my feet touched the floor...

My knees almost gave way beneath me.

Pain shot through my legs, but I didn't care.

I had to know.

I took one unsteady step toward Amanda.

My heart pounded violently against my chest.

"Oh no..."

I whispered under my breath.

"This has to be the Redrigos."

"They must have found me."

If they came here...

Everything would be over.